KBA'S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Membership Newsletter

February 6, 2020

MEMBERSHIP DUES RENEWAL COMING 2/17

On Monday, February 17th, you will be receiving an electronic notice to renew your annual membership dues. Please simply follow the steps to process your 2020 renewal, on or before 3/31/20.

If you wish to receive a printed invoice through the mail, please contact Amber at amber@kba.org or by call ing (502) 848-0426.

LICENSE RENEWAL SEMINAR FOR MEMBERS

KBA members are invited to join us for a special License Renewal Seminar with Dawn Sciarrino, on Monday, March 2, 2020, 10:00 am eastern, at KBA Headquarters in Frankfort.

If you are unable to attend in person, please consider joining via conference call using the information below.

LICENSE RENWAL SEMINAR FOR MEMBERS

Monday, March 2, 2020 @ 10:00 AM Eastern

KBA Headquarters in Frankfort (101 Enterprise Drive)

Boxed lunch provided for attendees

DIAL IN INFORMATION:

( 866) 899 4679

Access Code: 258 374 101

*Please RSVP your on-site attendance by emailing Amber at amber@kba.org*

SERVICE TO AMERICA AWARDS

ENTRIES NOW BEING ACCEPTED

The National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation is accepting entries for the 2020 Celebration of Service to America Awards , recognizing outstanding community service by local broadcasters. Winners will be honored at a black-tie gala attended by prominent broadcast industry executives and influential policymakers and regulators on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.

The award ceremony honors local radio and television broadcasters across the country for their exceptional commitment to keeping their communities informed and safe, and going the extra mile to help those in need. Throughout the evening, broadcast industry leaders, philanthropists, government officials and members of the press will see firsthand the dedication of the honorees as they accept their community service accolades.

Eight Service to Community Awards will be presented, with one radio and one television honoree in each of the following categories:

· Broadcast Ownership Group

· Large/Major Market (TV DMAs 1-50, Radio Markets 1-50)

· Medium Market (TV DMAs 51-100, Radio Markets 51-150)

· Small Market (TV DMAs 101-210, Radio Markets 151-300)

Radio and television stations, as well as broadcast ownership groups, are encouraged to enter their best community service efforts of the past year to win national recognition. Entries must be submitted by Friday, March 6.

Additional information on the awards entry rules is available HERE .

KBA'S PEP PROGRAM : 2019 YEAR IN REVIEW

A heartfelt thank you to all member stations who continue to faithfully air KBA's numerous PEP campaigns. The revenue generated from this program enables the Association to offer a wide variety of member services back to you throughout the year. What follows is a glimpse of your generosity in 2019.

Radio stations reporting PEP: 250

TV stations reporting PEP: 30

Total radio spots played: 494,174

Total TV spots played: 62,293

Total spots: 556,567

Radio value: $10,097,294

TV value: $3,238,973

Total value: $13,336,267

The following list of KBA member stations did not report any PEP airplay in 2019. While this does not necessarily mean that the stations did not air the PEP campaigns, it just means that we did not receive the airplay data. If your station is listed below and you are airing the PEP campaigns, please reach out to Lisa, KBA's PEP Coordinator, at pep@kba.org.

WAGX-FM

WANO-AM

WBTH-AM

WBVB-FM

WDFB-AM

WDHR-FM

WDJX-FM

WEKB-AM

WEKG-AM

WFLE-AM/FM

WFMW-AM

WFSR-AM

WFXY-AM

WGGC-FM

WGHL-FM

WGZB-FM

WHLN-AM

WHVE-FM

WIDS-AM

WIFX-FM

WIOK-FM

WKIC-FM

WKTG-FM

WLBQ-AM

WLSI-AM

WMIK-AM

WMIK-FM

WMJM-FM

WMMG-FM

WPKE-AM/FM

WPRT-AM

WQNU-FM

WRKA-FM

WRND-AM

WSFR-FM

WTCR-FM

WTUK-FM

WVEZ-FM

WVLC-FM

WVLE-FM

WWAG-FM

WXCC-FM

WXKZ-FM

WXLR-FM

WXMA-FM

WYGH-AM

WZLK-FM

WZQQ-FM

WASHINGTON, DC FLY-IN IS FEB 24-26, 2020

2020 DC FLY-IN ITINERARY

Monday, February 24

Group Arrives

KBA Group Dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill

Tuesday, February 25

NAB Issues Debriefing

Capitol Hill Visits

NAB Reception @ Union Station

Wednesday, February 26

Dean of the Delegation Breakfast

White House Tour

Group Departs

FCC SENDS $50,000 REMINDER

DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know that the FCC has a rule that requires that a broadcaster notify its audience that a program has been pre-recorded when the program “creates the impression” that it is live? Probably many broadcasters had forgotten about that rule (if they ever knew it existed). This week the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau entered into a Consent Decree with Salem Media Group , in which Salem agreed to pay a $50,000 penalty and set up a monitoring and compliance plan for 3 years, after admitting that it violated this FCC rule. The Enforcement Bureau specifically states that the action “will send a signal to the industry that the Commission remains vigilant in its duty to ensure that licensees adhere to the live broadcasting rule.” Consider yourself warned!

Section 73.1208 of the FCC’s rules requires broadcast stations to disclose to their audience that program material is prerecorded when “time is of special significance, or . . . [when] an affirmative attempt is made to create the impression that [the program material] is occurring simultaneously with the broadcast.” The program that led to the Enforcement Bureau action was called HealthLine Live , airing on Saturdays on over 20 Salem stations. The FCC, in its initial investigatory letter to Salem station KRLA(AM), the originating station (a letter available, as of the date of this article in the station’s public file), noted that because the word “Live” was in the title of the program, and because the program featured listener calls, the program gave the impression that it was being broadcast live. Reviewing the transcripts of the program provided by the licensee, it certainly seemed to convey the impression that the program was a live discussion of health issues.

The FCC began its investigation as a listener complained to the FCC that the program could not be live as the host had died before the program was broadcast. The program apparently continued to run for several months between the date that the listener stated that they originally heard the program after the host’s death and the date that the listener filed the complaint with the FCC.

In response to the FCC’s investigatory letter, the licensee admitted that the program was in fact prerecorded, and that the host was indeed dead. Because of the number of stations that broadcast the program, and the fact that only a handful of those stations mentioned to their listeners that the program was prerecorded, the FCC determined that a significant penalty was appropriate.

The rule requires that broadcasters notify their audience when a seemingly live program has in fact been prerecorded. That notification must come at the beginning of the program and be clear and understandable to the audience. On TV, the rule states that the notice can be given either visually or aurally. Commercials, promos and PSAs are exempt from the requirement.

With the warning provided by this case, broadcasters need to make sure to review all of their programming to be sure that they are not airing programs, or segments of programs (including any network programs), that appear to be live but are in fact not live, without providing notice to their listeners or viewers. Don’t re-run a talk show when the host is on vacation without mentioning that the program was recorded at an earlier date. Don’t include pre-taped phone calls in a program without providing notice that the calls have been prerecorded. If you include some live and some prerecorded calls in a program, disclose at the beginning of the program that portions of the program have been prerecorded. With the explicit warning that the FCC has provided in this Consent Decree, broadcasters need to be vigilant to avoid problems that can result in a costly lesson.

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DATES TO REMEMBER

FEBRUARY 19-21, 2020

Country Radio Show (Nashville, TN)

FEBRUARY 24-26, 2020

Washington DC Fly-In

MARCH 2, 2020

10:00 am - License Renewal Seminar @ KBA Headquarters in Frankfort

APRIL 4, 2020

5:30 pm - Kentucky Associated Press Broadcasters Awards @ Galt House

APRIL 8, 2020

9:00 am - KBA Board of Directors Meeting @ KBA Headquarters in Frankfort

APRIL 18-22, 2020

NAB Show (Las Vegas, NV)

OCTOBER 11-13, 2020

KBA Annual Conference (Owensboro, KY)

*All times shown are Eastern

HOTLINES

ENGINEERING HOTLINE

KBA’s new Engineering Hotline is up and running. If you have a question for Scott, please call (866) 4KBAHELP.

KBA ENGINEERING HOTLINE

(866) 4KBAHELP

LEGAL HOTLINE

Get answers to your everyday regulatory questions – political, EEO, public file and Kentucky legal concerns. No charges for any questions that can be answered by phone without research.

Call Dawn: 202-256-9551

Call Monica: 513-651-6783